


"we can never be together" kiss

by leonardwatch



Category: Ben 10 Series
Genre: Bittersweet, M/M, POV Second Person, post omniverse, prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-22
Updated: 2015-07-22
Packaged: 2018-04-10 15:51:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,502
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4397912
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/leonardwatch/pseuds/leonardwatch
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>You know the future. You what's going to happen. That's why this can't happen. That's why you can't be together at all.</p>
            </blockquote>





	"we can never be together" kiss

**Author's Note:**

> originally written for a prompt for 100-300 characters but it obviously became a full fic... so I decided to go ahead and upload it to ao3 as well.  
> this does take place at the end of omniverse, but there are really no major spoilers.

You’re aware of your own future. Someone from the future (accidentally) told you what’s going to happen in the future. While it’s nice to know what to expect, it’s that future that you know that’s causing you pain right now.

You’re supposed to be with Kai Green. She was your childhood crush and while it seems like a dream come true, she’s not who you want, at least not right now. Right now, in this time, you find yourself in love with your partner, the one who’s been beside you all this time, helped you develop as a person while also helping him, and been with you through so many fights and near-apocalypses. The one who at first you never even wanted in your life, you find yourself wanting him to stay with you forever.

It was after the time war when you noticed it, you noticed that you actually loved Rook. You wanted to tell him and maybe actually start something, but something was preventing that, and that was the future. You both knew what was going to happen. He was there when Spanner blurted it out. How could you start something when you knew it wouldn’t last? It wouldn’t work out and that was destined to happen.

And now here you are in the recently brought back truck, going on patrol after what could’ve been the trip of a lifetime, and you’re thinking way too much about this. You’re thinking about how is really is handsome like other girls have said, you’re thinking about all the time you’ve spent together, and you’re thinking about how he’s become such an indispensable friend and how you want things to be more romantic between you. These thoughts have grown and grown in your mind over the course of the trip and since you’ve been back, and now tonight you can’t get off your mind.

Of course it stops for second when you hear Rook asking what’s wrong and why you were so quiet.

“Oh,” you start out, looking straight forward to avoid eye contact. “No nothing’s really wrong, just still thinking about the trip I guess.”

Rook believes the lie you just told, starting to go in detail about one moment during the trip. You listen, and you enjoy hearing him talk, although you can’t look at his face because you were afraid looking at him would only cause you to think about it more. Looking at him was difficult, even talking to him was becoming difficult, all because it’s him and you want a romantic relationship with him, but you know you can’t because you know it won’t last. You know your future and staying with him isn’t it, so why try? Why even bother? You know it won’t last and it hurts you. 

“Ben, what is troubling you?” you hear Rook ask as the truck pulls to a stop.

You try to push the thoughts aside so you can quickly answer, “Really, Rook, nothing’s wrong.”

“Ben, I know people on earth do not look like they are about to cry when nothing is wrong.”

You’re shocked. Do you really look like you’re about to cry? Was thinking about this so painful that you really were about to to cry?

You clench your fists as you try to speak. “I…”

“If something is troubling you, you can talk about it,” he says next.

You immediately reply, “I know Rook, it’s just…” your voice trails off.

“Is it something to do with being back to our usual life here in Bellwood?” Rook starts to probe. You deny it quickly. He then asks another question about what could be troubling you, and you know he’s trying to help you, but you wish he’d stop prodding so you don’t have to tell him. You’d rather just find a way to bury these feelings without him ever knowing so at least know he’ll still be a friend.

The pattern of Rook asking a question about what’s upsetting you and you quickly denying it goes on for a minute or two until Rook actually guesses correctly.

“It is something that involves me?”

You hesitate to say no, but you do anyways. However the hesitation gives it away.

You can hear the worry in Rook’s voice as he starts to ask, “Ben, have I done something wrong or something to upset you–”

“No, no, you haven’t done anything wrong, Rook,” you’re quick to interrupt. Your arms are crossed, hands grabbing your arms and squeezing as you try to have this subject dropped. “Rook it doesn’t involve you I swear.”

“If does involve me, I would rather you tell me,” he responds immediately. He sounds so concerned at the idea of causing you trouble or causing you to be upset. You’re looking out the passenger’s window to avoid looking at him.

“No, Rook, it’s–”

“If I did something, I am sorry,” he interrupts. He was really determined to talk about this. “But if I did something to cause this… state that you are in, I would want to talk about this so we can get past this and make sure it does not happen again.”

Talking about this was causing you to only think about this more and more and now you know you are about to cry, and you could tell yourself something about how you’re a hero and how you shouldn’t cry, but this was getting to be too much. “Listen, it’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.”

“Ben–”

“I said it has nothing to do with you Rook!” You snap, turning to face him. Suddenly the bit of rage that you felt a moment ago is gone as you see how worried he is and how hurt he was by the outburst. After a moment you turn away. You feel like you just made things worse, nice job Tennyson.

After a minute of silence caused by your outburst, Rook speaks up, “I am sorry for probing too much into it. I only wanted to resolve the issue but I only focused on that and not how you feel.”

You can’t respond immediately. What do you even say to that? He apologized for trying to get too deep into it after you were the one to yell at him.

Maybe you shouldn’t hold on to this.

“Rook I like you,” you start. You’re still staring out the window; you can’t bear to face him as you say this. “It’s not just in a friend way, it’s like… a romantic sort of way. And I know we’re not going to work out. I know there’s really no point in trying. I’m supposed to be with Kai. Even right now you have a girlfriend and I…” you start to trail off. It’s hard to keep going. “I guess I just wanted to bury my feelings so you’d never find out so we could just keep being friends…”

There’s another moment of silence before you hear a small laugh. You’re kind of insulted so you turn to face him but you see his expression, how he himself also looks on the verge of tears.

You then ask, “Rook are you… are you okay?”

Holding back what’s either tears or another laugh Rook answers, “It is kind of cruel at this point. You say now that you like me after I thought I had pushed away my own feelings for you, after I knew nothing would happen after hearing your own future from Spanner.”

You can’t believe what you’re hearing. Rook actually felt the same way as you.

And you both knew that would not work out in the end.

Honestly, it was so cruel.

Rook then starts to speak again, “I thought about it, thought maybe we could still try to hold a relationship... but without knowing how it would end... I was more afraid of the outcome, more afraid of us not being able to like each other at all anymore...”

The words were true, and they hurt, and knowing that Rook felt the same way didn’t make it any easier. What were they going to do? Would they at least be able to get past this?

Suddenly you just pull Rook closer. You know you’re crying now. You then say, “I know we’ll get through this if we can’t be together, if we can’t be anything except friends. But there’s one thing I at least want to do.” And that’s when you kiss him.

It’s a soft kiss. After this kiss, you know it’ll be a long and awkward drive back to base, and you won’t know what will happen now or how or even if you’ll get past this, but at least there is this. This one kiss that you two will share, and hopefully the mutual thought that you will get through the fact that you and Rook can’t be together.

You know what the future is and that’s there no changing it, but at least there is now and hope, hope that it will be okay.


End file.
